About the Artist

Laura Cannon has worked across a range of disciplines including painting, printmaking, illustration, and photography. Her main concentration is on her semi-abstract watercolor works on canvas.

Laura earned her BFA Degree in studio art in 2012 from Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, FL. She has worked in digital printing, screen printing, and now works part-time remotely for a Florida-based printing company when she is not in her studio painting.

She recently made the move back to Florida after living in Charleston, SC and is currently involved in a series of work from her travels and of her home state. Switzerland, New Zealand, Portugal, and Florida are the main focus of her current creations.

Her works are featured in private collections throughout North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia.

About Artist’s Work:

When I first began painting for “Florida Blues” we were about a 1 1/2 years into the pandemic and I was living back in Florida.

My inspiration well was running dry since most of my works the last few years have been inspired by my trips abroad. Considering all things “travel” were paused for the unforeseeable future, I tackled my love/hate relationship with this swamp land we call Florida in the best way I knew how—paint it out.

Having lived in Central Florida and South Florida almost all of my life, I had an endless supply of photo references and memories tied to the locations I chose to paint.

Once started, the myriad of colors, especially the blues, captured my imagination, and that was my driving force behind these works. My goal was to capture this seemingly simple subject matter and portray the ever changing shades of Florida blues.

When you live in an area for so long, you sometimes stop seeing the beauty in your everyday surroundings, the views outside your window. You begin to take those views for granted.

Most of the pieces I created depict the beautiful waterways and wildlife refuges. As I finished each painting, I began to appreciate my home state of Florida and the natural beauty it has to offer: The 4:00 Summer storms and the strong contrast between the bright sun and the looming black clouds. The marshes with wild flowers and towering palms. The breathtaking moment when you witness bioluminescence, whether it is for the first or the one-hundredth time.

Creating this series helped me appreciate Florida’s beauty again and opened my eyes to this tropical landscape with a fresh point of view. Those scenic drives inland to the coast are now just a little more special.

What does “Home” mean to you: 

Home to me is the place where you feel the most comfortable and relaxed. A place where you can find joy and pleasure in the simplest things around you. This can be a place or the feeling another person brings you, no matter where you are.

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